The trailer for MaXXXine, the highly anticipated third and final chapter in Ti West’s bold horror trilogy, has finally dropped—and it’s a mesmerizing, glitter-soaked nightmare. Set against the pulsing chaos of 1980s Los Angeles, MaXXXine picks up Maxine Minx’s story where X left off, as she desperately tries to swap her adult film fame for legitimate Hollywood stardom.
But success never comes easy—especially when a shadowy killer starts hunting you down.
🎬 From Survival Star to Hollywood It-Girl: Maxine’s Gritty Journey
Maxine Minx, played fiercely by Mia Goth, has survived more than most. The lone survivor of the Texas porn massacre from X, she heads to Los Angeles to chase her bigger dreams.
In MaXXXine, she’s auditioning for The Puritan II, a slasher movie sequel that could be her ticket out of the adult film world. Yet behind the glamour, Maxine is haunted—both by the skeletons of her past and by a literal stalker terrorizing the city.
The setting? A Hollywood dripping with neon lights, synth music, sleaze… and blood.
🌟 Mia Goth: Still the Reigning Queen of Horror
If there’s a modern-day horror queen, Mia Goth wears the crown and the blood-streaked dress.
Her performance as Maxine oozes ambition, desperation, and a chilling steeliness. As The Guardian praises, “Goth is well worth the price of admission, if only for the chilling, almost reptilian glaze of ambition in her eyes.” Every frame of the trailer promises a Mia Goth masterclass in tension, trauma, and transformation.
Mia isn’t just acting anymore—she’s becoming a genre. And MaXXXine looks like the perfect, gruesome final chapter of her metamorphosis.
👠 A Killer Ensemble Cast
Ti West’s latest horror gem also boasts an ensemble dripping with coolness.
- Elizabeth Debicki transforms into a commanding horror director.
- Kevin Bacon slithers in as a sleazy private detective.
- Bobby Cannavale flexes grit as Detective Torres.
- Lily Collins, Halsey, Michelle Monaghan, Moses Sumney, and Giancarlo Esposito round out a dazzlingly stylish cast.
Their intersecting storylines create a dark web of ambition, jealousy, and, of course, death.
It feels like a twisted love letter to Hollywood itself—a town where fame is won, sold, and sometimes… bled for.
📼 Pure 1980s Gold: A Nostalgic Horror Playground
If you’re a sucker for 80s horror, MaXXXine will feel like a neon-drenched paradise.
The film plunges into the VHS aesthetic with grainy cinematography, synth-heavy soundtracks, and practical gore effects that pay tribute to the golden age of slasher flicks. Think Maniac, Friday the 13th Part 2, or even a touch of Dressed to Kill.
Ti West even used Universal Studios’ old Bates Motel set to anchor the throwback vibe—and every visual oozes love for the gritty, grimy, glorious 80s horror scene.
🔪 Night Stalker Vibes: Real-Life Horror Seeps In
Adding an unsettling layer of realism, MaXXXine draws inspiration from the real-life Night Stalker murders by Richard Ramirez that terrorized Los Angeles during the 1980s.
The trailer hints that Maxine’s stalker may not just be a slasher-movie trope but a chilling nod to the true horrors lurking just beyond Hollywood’s glitzy facade.
Blurring the line between fact and fiction gives MaXXXine an extra punch of dread—and reminds us that no amount of stardust can hide the city’s darkness.
🎥 A Trilogy’s Bold Finale
With X introducing us to Maxine and Pearl revealing the twisted origin story of her nemesis, MaXXXine stands poised to bring the entire journey full circle.
While early reviewers have hailed the film as a stylish and satisfying close to the trilogy, some noted that it doesn’t completely eclipse Pearl’s haunting beauty. As Rotten Tomatoes wrote in its first look, “It’s a gnarly, potent satire with a magnetic Mia Goth at her best.”
No matter what, MaXXXine is the bloody cherry on top of a trilogy that dared to mix art, horror, and heartache in daring new ways.
🧐 But… Too Much Obscenity? A Growing Concern
As much as the horror world is celebrating MaXXXine‘s release, a growing segment of moviegoers—especially families and casual fans—are asking a fair question:
Why must every bold, stylish movie be so heavily loaded with explicit content that it becomes impossible to watch with family or younger audiences?
From the trailer alone, MaXXXine hints at heavy sexual content, nudity, and graphic violence. Sure, the subject matter—following a former adult film star—is bound to include those themes. But many feel that today’s filmmakers often overindulge in showing everything, stripping away the subtlety that once made horror feel tense and sophisticated rather than merely shocking.
In an era where movies like Jaws and The Sixth Sense managed to terrify without being explicit, some wonder if we’re losing that artistry. Couldn’t we craft gripping, stylish thrillers that are intelligent enough for adults yet still atmospheric enough for young horror fans to grow into?
It’s a debate worth having—and MaXXXine seems destined to spark even more of it.
💄 Final Verdict: A Twisted, Gorgeous, Blood-Drenched Farewell
Whether you’re here for Mia Goth’s powerhouse performance, the blood-soaked 80s aesthetic, or just pure horror thrills, MaXXXine promises an unforgettable ride.
It’s gritty. It’s glamorous. It’s dangerous. And it’s Mia Goth unleashed like never before.
But it also quietly nudges us to think: What kind of horror will we create for future generations? Can we thrill and chill without always pushing boundaries into territory where only adults can follow?
Until then, one thing’s for sure: MaXXXine is a dazzling, violent love letter to horror’s sleaziest, bloodiest era—and Mia Goth will be remembered as one of its brightest, blood-smeared stars.
📺 Ready for the ride? Catch the trailer here:
MaXXXine | Official Trailer HD | A24
